The origin of the Klaipėda drama theater can be considered in 1935, when the closed Šiauliai Theater was moved to Klaipėda. Named the Klaipėda State Theater, it operated until 1939. spring, i.e. i.e. until the annexation of Klaipėda region. The first troupe of Lithuanian actors in the theater was led by Juozas Stanulis, and there was an acting studio. The troupe was supplemented by some of the actors of the disbanded Kaunas Youth Theater. The performances were created by directors Borisas Dauguvietis, Antanas Sutkus, Vladas Sipaitis, Ipolitas Tvirbutas, Juozas Stanulis. Elena Bindokaitė, Potencija Pinkauskaitė, Valerijonas Derkintis, Stepas Jukna, Gražina Jakavičiūtė, Alfonsas Radzevičius, Galina Jackevičiūtė, Juozas Rudzinskas, Petronėlė Vosyliūtė, Henrikas Kačinskas and other famous actors played in the pre-war theater. The scenography of almost all pre-war troupe performances was created by artist Vytautas Palaima. After the war, a fundamentally new theater was created.
in 1945 October 1 the Klaipėda Musical Comedy Theater was established. The official opening of the theater took place in 1946. July 27 The premiere of the musical play "Eglė, žalčių karalienė" by K. Jurašūnas (dir. J. Gustaitis). For the first few years, a drama and musical troupe operated in the theater, the repertoire included both drama and operetta productions, as well as R. Rosini's opera "The Barber of Seville" (directed by J. Gustaitis). 1946-1949 a Russian troupe operated in the theater. in 1949 the theater was renamed the Klaipėda Musical Drama Theater; since 1951 – Klaipėda Drama Theater. The first director of the theater director 1946-1949 was Juozas Gustaitis. Later men directors: Romualdas Juknevičius 1949–1952, Vladas Limantas 1953–1956, Vytautas Jasinskas 1952 and 1956-1963. Memorable productions by Kazimieros Juršis, Napoleon Bernot, Romuald Grincevičius, Aleksander Žadeikis, Stasios Čaikauskas, and other directors and actors.
in 1963 the troupe was supplemented by some of the actors of the closed Marijampolė (former Kapsukos) theater. The second period of the theater's development is associated with the long-time leader director (1963-1996), theater manager (1998-2001), since 2001 on behalf of art director Povilas Gaidis.
in 1980 and in 1996 the troupe was supplemented by two actors' shows prepared by Mr. Gaidis. The director has matured a group of real stage masters. Emilijas Platušaitė, Eduard Čepulis, Mykolas Petkevičius, Romuald Grincevičius, Laima Kerniūtė, Janina Budrikaitė, Juoz Paplauskas, Algirdas Kubilius, Henrikos Andriukonis, Gintautas Pechiuras, Vytautas Kankleris, Balis Barauskas, Algirdas Venskūnas, Elena Gaigalaitė, Valentina Leonavičiūtė, Broniaus Gražios, others are not forgotten. the roles of actors of bright memory. Vytautas Paukšte, Marija Černiauskaitė, Povilas Stankus, Nijolė Narijauskaitė, Jūratė Jankauskaitė, Nijolė Sabulytė, Regina Šaltenytė, Vytautas Anužis, Nelė Savičenko, Darius Meškauskas, Eglė Barauskaitė have created many bright and colorful roles.
Regarding the modern theater, two reconstructions of its building should be mentioned. in 1990 the facades of the theater were restored, the interior of the building was reconstructed, and a new annex was built (architect Saulius Manomaitis). 2007-2015 another major reconstruction of the theater took place (architects Kristina Jurkutė, Stanislovas Lukšas and Saulius Manomaitis). Perhaps the most eye-catching exterior change after this reconstruction is the restoration of the old bright color scheme, which was hidden under a monochromatic layer of light paint for many years. After the reconstruction, the theater became one of the most modern in Lithuania due to its technical capabilities.
The new stage in the life of today's Klaipėda Drama Theater is marked by the frequent visits of well-known and appreciated foreign directors in the international space. This tradition was started by working with Latvian directors Mara Kimele (performances "Father", "Antigone"), Elmar Senkov ("Mother courage", "Varovai"), Laura Groza ("Children of the Sun"), Polish directors Agata Duda-Gracz ( "Between Lena's Legs, or The Death of the Blessed Virgin Mary" by Michelangelo Caravaggio, "Love"), Jan Klata ("Boris Godunov"), Konrad Dworakowski ("Robot Tales"), Michał Borczuch ("Lost Lost Lost").
Since 2017 the international theater festival "TheATRIUM" started to be held in the theater, which takes place in the months of May-June.
